Éder. Four letters are enough to recall a French disillusionment at home. On July 10, 2016, the then substitute striker at LOSC offered Euro 2016 to Portugal. The supporters of the France team (and those of Portugal obviously) will long remember this 120-minute long final, a moment chosen by the irrational to invade a stunned Stade de France. At the heart of the second overtime period (109th minute), Éder unleashed a heavy strike from 25 meters, and drew tears at Cristiano Ronaldo, who was injured early in the game. Portugal, who led in the score for just 73 minutes throughout the competition, won their first major title that night.
If this united and disciplined team has been able to afford such an epic, it is in part thanks to the new format of the Euro, which has gone from 16 to 24 teams.
Third in their group with three draws (1-1 against Iceland, 0-0 against Austria and 3-3 against Hungary), the Portuguese led the score for 19 minutes at the opening, then 3 minutes against Croatia, a favorite eliminated in the 117th minute at the stage of the round of 16.
In the quarterfinals, against Poland, Fernando Santos' men did not lead the slightest second, before benefiting from a 40-minute advantage against Wales in the semi-finals, then 11 minutes in this famous final against the France team.
The two selections will meet in the group stage for this 16th edition.
The Euro winners:
1960 (in France): Soviet Union
1964 (in Spain): Spain
1968 (in Italy): Italy
1972 (in Belgium): West Germany
1976 (in Yugoslavia): Czechoslovakia
1980 (in Italy): West Germany (2nd title)
1984 (in France): France
1988 (in West Germany): Netherlands
1992 (in Sweden): Denmark
1996 (in England): Germany (3rd title)
2000 (in Belgium and the Netherlands): France (2nd title)
2004 (in Portugal): Greece
2008 (in Austria and Switzerland): Spain (2nd title)
2012 (in Poland and Ukraine): Spain (3rd title)
2016 (in France): Portugal